Sighting Of Unidentified Flying Objects

TEXT: 1. (U) ACCORDING TO THE 870729 EDITION OF THE "GHANAIAN TIMES" NEWSPAPER, OBSERVERS IN THE VICINITY OF ACCRA AND IN THE VOLTA REGION OF GHANA--AT KPANDU //GEOCOORDS 0700N-018E// AND HOHOE //GEOCOORDS 0709N-028E//--REPORTED SIGHTING A LARGE UFO OVER SOUTH-EASTERN GHANA AND THE GULF OF GUINEA BRIEFLY BETWEEN 2300 AND 2400 HOURS GMT ON 870727. SOME OF THESE REPORTS INDICATED THAT THE UFO WAS SILENT; OTHERS INCLUDED THE SOUND OF "EXPLOSIONS" ASSOCIATED WITH THE SIGHTING.

2. (U) IN PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS DURING 870804-870805, A GHANA AIR FORCE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD OBSERVED, FROM THE GROUND NEAR ACCRA, A UFO MOVING OVER THE VICINITY BETWEEN 2300 AND 2400 GMT ON 870727. HE GAVE THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION OF THE SIGHTING:

THE UFO FOLLOWED A GENERAL NORTH-TO-SOUTH COURSE AND DISAPPEARED OVER THE HORIZON OF THE GULF OF GUINEA. THE INITIAL IMPRESSION OF THE UFO, AS IT APPROACHED THE VICINITY OF ACCRA FROM THE NORTH, WAS THAT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A FALLING METEORITE. VERY QUICKLY, HOWEVER, THE UFO STOPPED FALLING AND STARTED TO CLIMB. AS IT WAS GAINING ALTITUDE OVER ACCRA AND THE OCEAN, DETAILS OF THE UFO COULD BE SEEN QUITE CLEARLY BECAUSE OF ITS OWN LIGHT EMISSIONS AND THE CLEAR EVENING SKY.

WHEN OBSERVED MOST CLEARLY, THE UFO APPEARED TO BE AT AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 15,000 FEET. ITS GENERAL SHAPE WAS SIMILAR TO A VERY LARGE AIRCRAFT FUSELAGE OR MISSILE BODY. ITS COLOR WAS METALLIC, ALUMINUM-LIKE. IT APPEARED TO BE ABOUT TWO OR THREE TIMES THE SIZE OF A BOEING 747 AIRLINER. BUT IT DID NOT SEEM TO BE PRODUCING ANY SOUND.

AT FIRST, PARTICULARLY WHILE IT WAS DESCENDING, THE UFO DISPLAYED A RELATIVELY LARGE, SINGLE SOURCE OF LIGHT, YELLOWISH IN COLOR, ORIGINATING FROM THE CENTER OF ITS TRAILING END, LIKE A ROCKET. AT ABOUT THE TIME THE UFO STOPPED DESCENDING AND BEGAN TO CLIMB, THIS SINGLE, YELLOWISH LIGHT DISAPPEARED, AND EIGHT SMALLER LIGHTS APPEARED. THESE WERE BLUE IN COLOR AND WERE ARRANGED IN A CIRCULAR CONFIGURATION AROUND THE END OF THE UFO--LIKE RELATIVELY SMALL JETS. THESE EIGHT BLUE "JETS" SEEMED TO BE THE UFO'S SOURCE OF PROPULSION AS IT DISAPPEARED OVER THE HORIZON.

3. (U) THE AIR FORCE PILOT ADDED THAT HE HAD HEARD OF OTHER SIGHTINGS, APPARENTLY OF THE SAME OBJECT, THAT HAD INCLUDED THE SOUND OF "TWO EXPLOSIONS," AND HE SPECULATED